Talia al Ghul
Talia al Ghul was the daughter of the League of Assassins' leader Ra's al Ghul, the former lover of Batman and the mother of their son Damian Wayne. Following the death of Ra's, she took Damian to Gotham City so that his father could raise him there and she took the position as leader of the League. Biography Early life Before Ra's al Ghul's death, Talia was romantically involved with Bruce Wayne, and since their last meeting she was pregnant with his son, Damian, by drugging him into marrying her and she raped him. Talia kept the child a secret from Batman. Since birth, Talia had Damian trained by the League of Assassins, and kept his existence from his father. When Damian was older, Talia, Damian, and Ra's were overseeing the training of the League until they were breached by a League of Assassins led by Ra's al Ghul's former henchman, Deathstroke. Talia led the defense of the League's base, then after the death of Ra's, brought her son to Batman for safety. Talia was captured during a failed attack on Deathstroke's base, and was subjected to severe torture. Later, Deathstroke used the threat of killing her to make Damian come to his base. In addition to her wounds from the torture, Talia was shot upon shielding Damian with her body. Batman later used the nearby Lazarus Pit, around which the base was built, to revive her. She was healed and, after thanking Batman for saving her and Damian's life, departed to rebuild the League, leaving Damian with Batman. ''Son of Batman'' Talia led the defense of the League of Assassins, when Slade Wilson/Deathstroke, Ra's al Ghul's former right-hand man/future successor, attempted a hostile takeover of Ra's organization. Following her father's death during the attack, Talia journeyed to Gotham City, where she introduced Bruce to Damian for the first time, and left him in his care. In a failed attack on Deathstroke's base and regain full control of the League, Talia was captured and became subject to torture. Later, Deathstroke used the threat of killing her to make Damian come after him. In addition to her wounds from the torture, Talia was shot upon shielding Damian with her body from a bullet. Batman later used the nearby Lazarus Pit (around which Deathstroke's base was built) to revive her. Following their victory, Damian chose to remain with his father, while Talia departed with the intention of rebuilding the League. ''Batman vs. Robin'' Talia makes a cameo appearing in Bruce's nightmare as one of the fallen next to Damian Wayne's Batman. ''Batman: Bad Blood'' Talia has abandoned any pretense of morality and relinquished her compassion for both Damian and Bruce, seeing both primarily as tools to serve her purpose. Talia creates an artificially full-grown clone of Damian known as the Heretic and recruits multiple super-villains like Blockbuster, Calculator, Electrocutioner, Firefly, Hellhound, Killer Moth, and Mad Hatter. After capturing Bruce, Talia brainwashes him into her loyal servant. Later, she has Bruce use the new communication software of Wayne Enterprise to brainwash the various political leaders of the world. Her efforts are ultimately stopped by the "Bat-Family" and Nightwing manages to help Bruce break free of Talia's control. Furious that she failed at both ambitions of controlling the world and having Bruce at her side, Talia retreats. She proceeds to escape on her jet, but is confronted inside by Onyx and counterattacks causing the jet to crash and leaving their fates unknown. Physical appearance Talia al Ghul is a slim, well-endowed woman, with green eyes and brown hair. Her normal attire is a black jumpsuit that shows her cleavage with a gun hostler. Personality Originally, Talia was a loving woman who cared deeply for her father and son, wanting to protect Damian from Deathstroke and lamenting Ra's' death. She also held strong feelings towards Batman, often acting seductively in their first encounter and affectionately calling him "beloved." After taking up leadership as head of the League of Assassins, seemingly from her usage of the Lazarus Pit, she displays a complete change in her personality. She now acts more coldly, killing Heretic upon hearing his grievances. This extends even towards those she once loved, as she willing brainwashes Bruce without remorse, claiming to have cleansed him of all the pain he's endured. Talia also displays coldness towards her own son, calling him a "bastard" and ordering Bruce to kill him with the claim that they could always make more children. Although Talia claims that her actions were an act of love for Bruce and Damian, Damian speculates that it was all about control for her, and that any love she had was gone. Abilities *'Peak Human Condition:' Due to her training with the League of Assassins, Talia is in peak physical fitness. **'Peak Human Reflexes:' Talia was able to block two bullets with her sword. *'Genius-Level Intellect:' Talia is an extremely intelligent and observant woman. **'Leadership:' Talia is an expert leader, as she gathered a special group of Batman's enemies and used each and every one of her talents to help with her plans. **'Master Manipulator:' After Talia took the leadership of the League, she used Bruce Wayne as a pawn, changing the father of her son into a weapon. He also made the Heretic believe that he was even more important to her than Damian, his son. *'Master Combatant:' Talia is a very skilled martial artist. She was able to fight Batwoman and almost defeat her. *'Master Markswoman:' Talia killed several Deathstroke agents with a machine gun. *'Master Swordswoman:' Talia killed several Deathstroke agents with a sword. *'Master Archer:' During the attack on the League of Assassins, Talia manages to fire an arrow clean through a helicopter's armor and kill the pilot. Later on, using a gatling-style automatic crossbow, she shoots down another helicopter. Appearances Films *''Son of Batman'' *''Batman vs. Robin'' (dream) *''Batman: Bad Blood'' Notes * Talia first appeared in Detective Comics #411 created by Dennis O'Neil and Bob Brown. Trivia * It is unknown what caused the drastic change in her personality, though it could be speculated that she forced the Mad Hatter to remove her emotions in an effort to become a better leader. ** Another theory could be that when Batman exposed her to the Lazarus Pit, the effect warped her mind like her fathers. * Talia al Ghul is the first female main antagonist in a DC Animated Movie Universe film. Category:Villains Category:Assassins Category:Humans Category:Main Antagonists Category:Deceased Category:Females Category:Son of Batman Characters Category:Batman vs. Robin Characters Category:Batman: Bad Blood Characters Category:Gotham City residents Category:Batman Enemies Category:Justice League Enemies